For today’s post, I thought I would do a bit of a recap of recent audiobook releases and what is coming in the future. I tend to focus much less on audiobooks, and there is a specific reason for it. Once I provide Tantor with the manuscript, they run with it and do everything else. By contrast, as an independent author, I handle all aspects of the process for eBook and physical formats, though of late I have farmed out…
The process of coming up with new ideas, even for books based on Pride and Prejudice is one I do not find all that difficult. As I have written more than fifty of these, I must assume that most of those out there reading this will understand that. There are so many different ideas to explore, so many instances where if a different path had been taken the ending (and indeed the middle and even the beginning if you go back…
This one is a bit out there, as Neil Sedaka is a bit (or a lot) before my time, but his tunes are so memorable that they persist to this day in being favorites to many. His jumpy, catchy tunes in the 60s and late 70s made him a huge star, and his songwriting talent provided material for many other stars of his time. Neil Sedaka was born in 1939 and began to show aptitude, specifically for the piano, at…
I am a child of the 80s. Though I was born at the tail end of the 60s, a month to the day after Armstrong first walked on the moon, my formative years with popular music all occurred with 80s music, which I love to this day. The 80s a decade of interesting, upbeat, and often kooky music, and it was also the decade where music videos became truly widespread, from Michael Jackson’s Thriller to the music videos of Duran…
Now seems like a propitious time to do a post about the release of Saving Anne de Bourgh, which goes on sale tomorrow. The release of Four Days at Netherfield was a little under a month ago, meaning I will have two new books out in a short time frame. Usually I would not do this, but Saving Anne de Bourgh is also an audiobook release, and I did not have any control over the release date. It was unfortunately delayed a couple…
As promised, here is the second cover reveal this week. Saving Anne de Bourgh is a full-length novel I wrote last year, and unusually, I wrote the bulk of it, or probably about 84-90% in the space of about three weeks. I usually take much longer to write anything, but for whatever reason, the words continued to come hard and fast; many days I was writing three chapters a day. Most of the major action happens in one day, so that…
As I promised last week, I have a cover reveal today. Four Days at Netherfield was a project I conceived recently, one that has made it to the publishing stage far more quickly than most of my ideas. It is funny how that works sometimes, for delays can happen at any stage of the process, from outlining to final edits and covers. I currently have more than 15 variations outlined and waiting in my to do folder, which will give you…
As many of you may already know, I am a summer person. I often comment that I never complain about the heat in the summer because I reserve the right to complain about the cold in the winter. The heat gets a bit uncomfortable at times, but it never bothers me much, as I much prefer being too warm than too cold, which is why I really despise winters. Makes you wonder why I live in the frozen north, where…
I enjoy posting excerpts. It’s always interesting to offer a glimpse of what is in the pipe and hear what people are thinking. Before I publish each book, I do a rigorous editing program which allows other eyes to look at my manuscript, and ends up costing me many hours of time revising, dealing with any language not appropriate for the genre such as anachronisms, and trying to find that exact word that will say what I wish to say….
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for piano music. For today’s post, I thought rather than give you one piano, I’d give you two! Mozart’s sonata for two pianos was written in 1781 when he was 25 years old. The entire work is sublime, but my favorite part is the second movement, which I will share today. Enjoy!